Big Brother Program
by websky
Summary: When Shiro's Grandmother hears a loud noise next door Shiro goes to check it out. To his surprise, Shiro finds a bruised little boy named Ketih opening the door.


**Big Brother Program**

When Keith had opened the door it had mostly been because he didn't want to arouse suspicion, his foster dad was already mad enough, he didn't need to make things worse.

"Hi," the stranger said as Keith cracked open the door. Only it didn't really look like a stranger, the face was familiar, and the uniform, it was from the Garrison. "I heard a loud noise earlier, I was wondering if everything was alright."

Keith stared at the officer wide-eyed. "You're Officer Shirogane; the kids at school were talking about you. You got chosen to go to space." Keith wiped his nose, he hoped he looked alright. At his last foster home one of the kids had bragged hard-core about how they'd seen Shirogane in the grocery store and he'd said hi to them. Now he was standing in front of Keith's front door.

The muscular man smiled, bending down slightly to be at Keith's height. "Yeah, though my friends mostly just call me Shiro. And going to space isn't for another eight years, so I have to prepare for it still. I'm only just about to graduate."

Stars appeared in Keith's eyes, but then his arm dropped. He'd almost forgotten about the situation behind him.

His foster dad TJ yelled, "Keith shut the door, I don't care who it is."

Keith bent more forward, trying to push the door a little more closed so Shiro couldn't see inside. He didn't want one of the coolest guys in the Garrison to see the inside of his foster dad's home. There were beer cans everywhere, and cigarette butts, and that funny smelling plant. It was embarrassing, Shiro probably lived in a mansion, he couldn't let a guy like this see the inside of his house.

"Listen, Keith's your name. Well my grandmother lives right next door, and a few minutes ago she heard a loud crashing sound."

Keith hides one of his legs behind the other. He tries to do the same with his arm but it doesn't work out.

His father had been yelling at him for disrupting the hockey game, and one thing led to another and he'd grabbed his leg and Keith had fallen over. He knew it would bruise, but the bruise on his right arm hurt more right now. That had been from yesterday when his foster dad had dragged him. He'd gotten really angry after drinking the beer.

"Oh it was nothing," Keith said. He wasn't sure the excuse yet, but he knew he'd have to make one; he couldn't risk his foster dad getting madder. "I just tripped is all, on my robot spaceship toy."

Shiro gave an unnerving look trying to peek inside, but Keith shut the door more, as to block the view more prominently. "Is your dad home Keith?"

His leg played with the carpet, Keith sighed. His leg was hurting more now. "He's watching the game, he can't be disturbed." Keith looked away slightly. "And he's not my dad, he's my foster dad." Keith didn't want Shiro to think he was related to TJ, he was ugly, and Keith really didn't want this cool space guy to think that he would turn out looking like TJ in the future.

"Oh I see," Shiro said, he glanced down at Keith's arm. Keith stared to; the bruise was even more purple then yesterday. Keith took his hand away from the door. "Quite a nasty bruise there, how'd you get that?"

"I-" Keith was cut off as he felt another hand appear on the door.

"Hey what the heck are you doing on my property?!" TJ shouted as he came up from behind Keith.

Shiro raised himself up. "Sorry, I heard a loud noise next door and was concerned, so I came to see the commotion." Shiro was straight with his words, and somehow his kind voice to Keith had turned a bit meaner directed at TJ.

Tj raised an eyebrow. "Next door, only that old Japanese woman lives there, what are you her sex-toy."

Shiro looked a little taken aback by the comment, but kept his appearances. "Actually I'm her grand-son, mister. . ."

"You don't need my name because you're leaving." TJ went to close the door, but Shiro put a foot in the way. "What are you doing? Do you want me to call the cops on you."

"Sir, I highly doubt you'll be calling the cops on anyone here." Shiro looked down at Keith, he'd backed away to the corner slightly. "I only wanted to speak to your foster-son Keith."

TJ looked down and gave a glare toward the young boy. "Keith go to your room," TJ instructed, Keith couldn't disobey that. He'd used the angry tone.

Backing up Keith went to walk away but Shiro shouted too him. "Wait Sir, Keith, I want to invite you out to the Garrison, to see the simulator—" the door was slammed shut on Shiro.

Keith backed away, his foster father grew closer. "Please, I didn't say anything, you heard me." TJ grabbed at Keith's arm, pulling him upward by the bruise. Keith let out a few wines.

"If that kid comes back here slam the door in his face, I hate it when people nose into other's business." TJ dropped Keith on the ground, and the boy scrambled back into his own room. TJ went back to his chair in front of the couch to watch the game, and Keith closed the door to his room to hopefully hide.

Wow, Shirogane's grandmother lived right next door to him that had to be the coolest thing he'd heard in a while.

Keith winced, looking down at the bruise on his arm. It hurt, and he was supposed to tell his social worker whenever something like this happened. But TJ was nice most of the time. He'd bake him breakfast before he started drinking beer, he'd let him roam around the house, and he even gave him his own room. There were no other kids around either so it was easy to hide away, and even at school the kids seemed to ignore him, which was much better than someone picking on him.

Maybe next time he saw his neighbour though, the old lady in the wheel chair, he could ask about Officer Shirogane. He sure couldn't wait to brag about this to the kids at school. He'd met the guy going on the Kerberos mission, how cool was that.

As Shiro helped his grandmother from her wheelchair onto the couch he let out a breath. He'd already had the kettle on for their green tea, and the TV was playing in a dull hue.

"Thank you for going over there Takashi," his grandmother said. "I worry about the little boy there, the father and him got into what sounded like an argument last night and there was a lot of crashing." His grandmother touched the side of her face. "I wanted to call the police actually, but the phone is too far out of reach from my bed. I could have pressed my emergency help button, but that would only bring an ambulance, and I didn't want to cause a huge ruckus."

"I understand Nana," Shiro said, as he headed into the kitchen to pour the tea.

"I just don't know how to help the poor boy; it's hard not having working legs anymore."

Pouring the green liquid, Shiro lets the water steep for a few minutes. "How long has he been next door?" Shiro asked.

His grandmother Haruka brought her hand down from her face. "Well let's see a few months now." Shiro came into the living room and sits on the couch next to his grandmother. "I often hear dull shouts and loud yelling from the house, and it usually happens around night time."

Shiro thought back to the bruise he'd seen on the boys arm, the way he was skiddish, and the way his foster father had acted. He hated the fact he couldn't do anything.

Sipping his tea Shiro burns his tongue slightly, the water still hot.

He was naïve to think there wasn't something he could do, and he was even a worse human being then he thought if he didn't take action to help this situation.

The next morning Shiro stayed inside his truck and waited for either Keith or the foster father TJ to leave that morning. Keith was the first, having a backpack around his shoulders as he slammed the door and headed for school. He had a large sweater on despite the blistering heat.

Shiro got out of the car. "Hey, Keith right?" Shiro jogged up to the kid. "Off for school this morning."

The kid looked oddly suspicious by the encounter, but he didn't say anything against it. "Yeah, I am."

"I was just on my way off from visiting my grandmother when I saw you." Shiro wanted to offer a ride, but he was afraid that might scare the kid off entirely. "So I was wondering, if maybe you'd like to stop by the Garrison sometime, you seemed interested when I offered."

Keith stopped in his tracks, his head turning back. "But I can't apply for the garrison for another few years? And it costs money."

"There are scholarships," Shiro said, Keith starting to walk again and Shiro walked to keep up with him. "If you want I can help you look into it—or even help."

Keith seemed to play with the idea in his head as they continued to walk down the street. Shiro wondered about how far this school was, it didn't seem like any other kids were even walking.

"Why do you want to even go to the trouble? You're some big-shot pilot."

A laugh escaped Shiro, he hadn't been expecting that reaction. "Well of course I'm interested in a new recruit, besides I can see it in your eye, you like the idea of going to space."

Red appeared over Keith's face as he rubbed his cheek. "I like looking at the stars," he mumbled as he started walking faster. Shiro had to practically jog to keep up. "If I can go into space one day, I could see the stars up close."

Shiro smile, somehow he knew that deciding to help this kid wasn't an accident. Those exact same words, were the words he told his parents when he decided to apply for the Garrison.

For the next week or so Shiro met Keith outside his house in the morning to give him rides to school. Sometimes even in the afternoon on his way Shiro will pick Keith up and drop him off, giving the excuse he's going to visit his grandmother. His Nana really likes all the visits to, so Shiro doesn't mind getting both of the same done.

The next weekend the visit to the Garrison approached, and like Keith had said he waited outside his front porch in the morning. He looked a little nervous on the step as Shiro arrived that early hour. Part of his long hair was covering his cheek to.

"Morning Keith," Shiro said, as he opened up his car door.

Keith didn't respond looking at the ground. His eyes were focused on it, trying to avoid Shiro. He walked forward and bent on one knee so he was at Keith's eye-level. "Hey Keith, what's wrong?"

As Shiro got closer he noticed the bruise on the side of Keith's face. Without though Shiro reached for it but Keith pulled away, a deer in the headlights look following. "TJ doesn't want me leaving the house today."

"That bruise, Keith, did he do that to you?"

Keith ran away from Shiro's reaching hand back to his front porch. "Wait Keith, should I call someone, your social worker, or maybe even the police."

Stopping Keith turned around. "You can't please; TJ's so much nicer than the home. And the kids at this school don't bully me, and I get my own room, and when he's not drinking beer TJ's actually really nice." Keith's crying.

Approaching quaintly Shiro takes Keith in his arms on the front steps. "Can we go next door?" Shiro asked. "My grandmother always has cookies lying around." Keith lets his tears disappear into Shiro's shirt before nodding. He seemed sad, but deep down Shiro knew this was the right thing to do.

Going next door his grandmother was happy to talk with Keith while Shiro dialed the police, where he was able to get the social workers number. She came over within the next hour. Shiro and Keith were sitting on his porch step as he explained the situation to the woman who'd come to collect Keith, apologizing profusely for the mess that had been caused.

And then the woman—Karen—took Keith, and Shiro was left with an empty feeling in his gut.

"I'm sorry," Shiro apologized as Keith was loaded into the van.

Keith shrugged. "It's okay, it happens all the time."

Shiro frowned. "It's not okay for people to hurt you, no matter what circumstance," Shiro told Keith. "I hope you know that." And then Shiro slipped Keith his number. "Call me, or even my grandmother, if there's any concern. I'll come right there for you."

Taking the paper cautiously Keith nodded, closing the door fully. As Karen was about to drive away she pulled down her window. "You know Shirogane, there's a kind of big-brother program offered in town, for kids in Keith's program." Karen pulled out a business card. "If you're interested, please call me, I'd be happy to help you."

Shiro didn't call it right away, in fact he went back to school, his spring break period over as he had to finish his last few classes. But Keith didn't leave his mind, and neither did the business card he was given. He called the number that next weekend, offering to help Keith out.

 _fin_


End file.
